June, 2016

I’m told there’s an actual term for a known strategy in conservative political circles, called CHLOROFORMING–that is the process of convincing people that they don’t want to vote, that it’s hopeless to vote, that voting can change nothing, that it’s too difficult or it’s pointless.

If you believe that there’s no point in voting, you have been “CHLOROFORMED”.

Many were surprised Donald Trump could be taken seriously as a candidate–could win over so many people. What will be the next political horror to surprise us? How about the fact that *libertarians* are now being taken more seriously because they got a tiny little increase of support in reaction to Trump? Their candidates are being covered on CNN. But the only thing libertarians actually have going for them is the word “liberty”–which for libertarians actually means liberty for whoever controls the marketplace–and their general, theoretical opposition to war. I can appreciate people desperately supporting a party supposedly opposed to going to war. But it’s just as much a mistake as succumbing to Trump’s appealing simplicity.

Libertarians are isolationist, and they don’t want taxes and war induces taxation to pay for it so they’re “against war”. However–if there was a resurgence of communism threatening their business interests, you’d probably see libertarians calling out for an “exception”: a war for…liberty. Libertarianism is the right masquerading as the left.

Like Trump, libertarians have the attraction of being a simple answer. With Trump it’s, “just trust Trump, turn it over to him, he’ll fix it, and, don’t forget, he despises dark skinned foreigners”. With the libertarians it’s, “the unregulated free market will solve all problems, trust us, and by the way we’re against war and we’re all for marijuana”. (Never mind that marijuana is already being legalized in state after state, no thanks to libertarians.)

When libertarians are losing an argument–eg when you point out that real economic science and history demonstrate that regulations and reasonable taxation and federal economic stimulus all are shown to promote prosperity–they call you a *statist*. They don’t actually call for no state at all, as real anarchists at least have the balls to do. They call for libertarian government–and, inexplicably, the libertarian government is supposedly not a *state*. Only, of course, it would be a state. It would be a shitty, polluting state ceding control to corporate power. But it would still be a state.

And when did *state* in itself become pejorative? To pretend *state* is a pejorative, insulting term is poor usage–and it is childish. It’s early adolescent, really. And that, actually, is a state, so to speak, that has always gone with libertarianism. It’s the jeering, childish, “just because” political theory.

…show up to vote at *congressional races* and vote Republicans OUT. Encourage your friends to register to vote; encourage your friends to put on their coats, encourage your friends to simply note: they must vote the Republicans out.

If you don’t like them crushing the middle class and the poor…then show up to vote at *congressional races* and vote Republicans OUT. Encourage your friends to register to vote; encourage your friends to put on their coats, encourage your friends to simply note: they must vote the Republicans out.

If you don’t like the suppression of science and climate change’s facts…then show up to vote at *congressional races* and vote Republicans OUT. Encourage your friends to register to vote; encourage your friends to put on their coats, encourage your friends to simply note: they must vote the Republicans out.

If you don’t like the erosion of women’s rights…then show up to vote at *congressional races* and vote Republicans OUT. Encourage your friends to register to vote; encourage your friends to put on their coats, encourage your friends to simply note: they must vote the Republicans out.

Trump said, “I’m tired of waiting, Kim.” He tore off his shirt and advanced on Kim Jong Un whose eyes widened, the North Korean dictator’s tongue caressing his lips with excitement. Then the door burst open and–

But first, here’s a real quote from Trump about Kim Jong Un Dictator of North Korea: “How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden … he goes in, he takes over, and he’s the boss,” Trump said. “It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one. I mean this guy doesn’t play games.”

And here’s a real quote from CNN: “Donald Trump on Friday praised Vladimir Putin and appeared to defend the autocratic Russian president when pressed about his alleged killing of journalists and political opponents critical of his rule… Putin called Trump a “bright and talented” and the “absolute leader of the presidential race,”‘

News from a couple days ago: KIM JONG UN ENDORSES TRUMP for President.

…back to our story. Donald Trump turned from the silk sofa and the half-nude Kim, and The Donald’s eyes widened, his tongue caressing his lips. Then he said, “Vladimir!” Putin–already stripped from the waist up–stepped into the room, closing and locking the door, and turned furiously to Kim. “Get away from Donald. He’s mine!”

“So you say! But–” Kim panted. “You must prove it!”

Putin nodded. “Both of you–onto the sofa. Someone’s got to be ‘the top’ around here…”

(Anyway, it would be from Sex Hungry Dictators Magazine if there was one)

I entirely support the LGBT rights movement. I was used to the term LGBT and fine with that acronym; recently (anyhow it’s recent to me, I hadn’t seen it till yesterday) it’s gone to LGBTQ. I thought, isn’t that redundant? It terms of public relations, don’t you want to keep it simple and isn’t LGBT inclusive enough? Isn’t Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender already a sufficiently prolix phrase? But they added Queer which seemed to me to be already implicit in gay and lesbian. Jeez, the original gay rights groups chose queer as a way of co-opting a supposed insult and making it over into their own word. Now it means more, more and more: “LGBTQ: “LGBTQ” is an acronym that originated in the 1990s and replaced what was formerly known as “the gay community.” The acronym was created to be more inclusive of diverse groups. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and/or questioning) individuals/identities.”

It’s like, we weren’t confusing enough. I get it, the idea is supposed to be all-inclusiveness. But isn’t that a dilution of the movement? I mean…”questioning”? I was always told by gay rights people and scientists studying it that gay people knew they were gay from the start. Some people do have a brief period of psychologically coming out of the closet but is this really necessary for them? Isn’t the Q overdoing it? And many of us have encountered people who feel it’s fashionable to be questioning their gender identity when in fact they know it perfectly well. Every gay person I ever knew, knew they were gay from the start. They couldn’t always act on it but they knew. Straight people know they’re straight. Bisexual is already covered.

Too late now. The Questioning is out of the barn, it’s out there, we’re to accept it and I’ll use the term–saw it on MSNBC today, it must be somewhat official. But the community would be wiser to have some public relations perspective next time so they don’t end up with LGBTQPIALT — PIALT for possibly in another lifetime.

Also some may want to add and MS at the end for Meh-Sexual meaning “I just feel meh about sex” …

Queer always stood for homosexual in the movement but the old guys and gals of the movement–many of them have died off. So the young people get to make themselves feel self important by appropriating queer. Like “include me! Because…because…I’m questioning…that’s it!” Bullshit. That’s like saying “I feel that I’m an African American though I’m a blond Norwegian”…